I live in the UK, where a lot of the culture is to drink or to go out for a drink after work.

Now, when I say drink, I mean an alcoholic beverage; whether that’s beer, vodka, gin, wine, you name it, our pubs have got it.

 We can drink from the age of 18, but a lot of people start earlier. It’s cool, and you kind of follow a crowd to feel like you are fitting in to do something that you shouldn’t.

 It is almost a right of passage to meet up with your mates after work or on your day off to catch up over a pint and just take the edge of a hard day at work.

 A lot of people have a love-hate relationship with the stuff; it’s technically like your invisible friend; it’s always there for some people and comes up to support you when you need it, or it needs you. You see and drink it when you are down or have a quick glass to celebrate something (sometimes anything). For a lot of people, it’s a need, not a want, a friend that is always there, echoing in their mind for just that quick one here or there.

 For some people, it is a rabbit hole that friends and family try to help dig their way out of. I like a drink on the odd occasion; it’s nice to get out and socialize and have the option to drink, but it isn’t my kryptonite; I can go without it. For some people, it’s a real struggle to stop.

 Some of the people I work with were talking about the difficulty of meeting up with people without alcohol being the constant part of a night. It is a given that when most of us go out together, we will go out to a bar or club, have a couple of drinks, and dance the night away.

 But, for a chance, we were thinking of doing Stoptober, so instead of not smoking for a month, we are all going to try and not drink for a month.

I think it will be a challenge for a lot of people to not have a sneaky ‘tin’ here and there, but it could be a real cleanse and be something different and make us socialize in a different way without the reliance on alcohol to be something to lean on so we can have a good night.

 So why don’t you join us? Whether it’s for a day a week or a month (or longer), find other things that you can do with your friends or family that doesn’t involve alcohol. Go to a painting class, bowling, mini golfing, have a movie night, go out to a restaurant, and enjoy something different for a change. You never know; you might actually like it. Drinking doesn’t have to be the friend you always need to have.

This was written by our contributing writer, Shanai Besst.